The More Things Stay the Same, the More they Stay the Same

Thomas Hobbes (image courtesy of famousbiographies.org)

On the surface of things, it appears that not much has changed over say, the last 4 centuries. It is as if it is in our DNA to not trust, respect or even get along with people who differ from us by skin color, nationality, or political bent. Recent events in this country have brought these latent feelings to a boiling point once again.

Listening to the car radio the other day, I heard a speaker reference Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher from the 17^th century. I was struck by the similarities of his thoughts from 1651 to the current state of affairs.

Hobbes, in his most famous work Leviathan, wrote the following:

“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry… no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” (Emphasis added)

The focus of this work by Hobbes was the plight of humankind living without a strong leader. I’ll leave that particular thought alone and instead focus on his description of society bound for chaos as noted in the bold print above.

Our news feeds are filled destruction and violence as years of oppression and struggle have been brought to a head by the thoughtless taking of lives by those paid to protect and preserve it. I am not here to argue one point versus the other; only to say that every life is precious in the eyes of our Creator and we should hold each other in that type of esteem as well.

What strikes me is how close Hobbes description of life in anarchy reflects ours today, some 450 years later! The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same. Many are living daily with the fear of violent death, which casts a pall over the lives of any thinking and caring person. It indeed can make the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

I, for one, don’t want to have this dark description be true of my life, and in fact, it is not. Though I do not have much of a say as to the brevity of my life, I certainly do have when it comes to being solitary, poor, nasty or brutish. And please understand, on my own I have made no great strides with any of these. It is only through the grace of God, poured out on me through the Savior Jesus Christ that has raised me out of the mire.

As Edward Mote wrote in that great hymn, my hope too is in Jesus Christ. Only when we, that is all of us, embrace the righteousness that only comes from the Lord, can we live as a people not described by Hobbes.

Jesus left clear instructions: Love others as He loved all. When individuals can truthfully live out this command of Jesus is when we will see true cracks in the walls of hatred and judgment of others.

Let us begin today to be what history will record us as. With God’s help we can be remembered as people who loved others as themselves, who promoted forgiveness and kindness instead of division and strife.

I pray for a grassroots growth of many individuals coming to know the love of God, for He truly is humanity’s only true hope.

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #459

Lyrics by Edward Mote

May you all come to know more deeply the love God has for you,

Pastor Chuck

 

Why Pray?

image courtesy of bing images

I am preparing to do a series of teachings on prayer at one of the local churches Betsy and I have the honor of helping out at.  I’ve been giving this much thought because I know what a vital piece prayer can be to a person’s life.  Yet as important  prayer is to me, I was having trouble coming up with a way to present the idea to this church family.

I found the answer this morning as my wife and I took our morning walk with dog.  I asked Betsy what would be the first thing she would say to a group that wanted to learn about prayer.  I wanted to know what she thought would grab their attention.  Her answer grabbed certainly mine, and so the following brief blog entries will examine the wonderful topic of prayer.

“The first thing to say would be this,” my wisdom-filled spouse said, “Jesus prayed.  And if prayer was something that the Son of God saw as important, we all ought to devote some time to it ourselves.”

Jesus prayed!  What wonderful encouragement for us all! Over the next couple of days lets explore some of the reasons why the Lord prayed; as well as His instructions on how we should.  But for today, simply let the fact that Jesus Himself prayed sink in.  If God’s Son saw the importance of being in communication with His Father, shouldn’t we as well?

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck

PS: Here are a few examples from the Bible that tell that Jesus prayed:

Matthew 26:39, 42, 44

Mark 1:35

Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:28

John 11:41-44; John 17:1

 

Call Waiting

(Image courtesy of bing images)

A blog that I faithfully read is titled My Way Home. I highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t already.  It is not only excellently written, but the topics are timely and presented with a transparency I can only hope to attain someday.  It was in responding to a recent post there that caused me to offer this fuller explanation of how our ever-faithful God showered me with His patience, waiting for me to answer His call.

Before cell phones became a ‘necessity,’ most folks had a phone (or two) placed strategically in their homes.  One of the innovations of that era was Call Waiting, a service provided by the phone company that alerted to you to an incoming call during a call already in progress.  I know it doesn’t sound like much know, but twenty some years ago it was a big deal.

But enough about ancient phone technology, suffice to say I would ask you to keep the idea of Call Waiting in mind as you plow through the following.  As many of you know, I started my journey of recovery from alcoholism in 1991.  From a detox to in patient rehab; I then dove wholeheartedly into AA.  It was their teaching that to recover one must rely on a ‘power greater than ourselves’ that I came to know Jesus Christ as Savior.  I’d gone to church every Sunday as a kid and heard all the stories; they simply didn’t mean anything to me.  That is until I was faced with the prospect of a slow and lonely death if something didn’t change in my life.

As the length of time away from a drink continues to grow, so did my trust in Jesus.  I counted on Him to not only keep me sober, but also to live my life in a responsible way.  Little things that had always been beyond me, like working and paying bills, became things I could do with the Lord’s leading.

I didn’t feel the need to go back to organized religion, for I had all I needed on a daily basis in this gift of sobriety.  I did not object, however, when my wife suggested we start going to church again, for the kids.  It is as I starting attending services regularly during this time that the story of Call Waiting began.

After being with this wonderful group of people that made up my new church family a short time, I became involved in various activities.  There was choir and bible study and fellowship dinners as well as other ministry activities.  I did many of them, enjoying a freedom in my spirit I had never known.

I also began to take an active role in caring for and about others.  Visiting folks in the hospital or those who were home bound became very important to me.  It seemed only right to give back in some way after having done so much damage caring only about me and my wants.  As I look back, it was during this time that God’s Call Waiting started to happen.

All of a sudden, it seemed to me, various people that I had contact doing these various ministry tasks started to tell me that I had a ‘pastor’s heart.’ I smiled and nodded at these kind words, thinking to myself they had me confused with someone else.  I was barely scratching the surface of learning how to take care of myself and my young family; surely this pastor business was not for me.

While hoping in my heart of hearts that these comments would die a peaceful death, they in fact became more frequent and were now being followed with questions like: “You really ought to look into this,” and the big one, “This is God’s calling for you.”

Well, I thought, if it was God calling, He was going to have to wait.  I had debts to pay and a wife and children I wanted to spend time with.  Being a pastor seemed at that time to entail lousy working hours with little pay.  I was all for helping out, when it was convenient, but not full time.  No, that call was going to have to wait.

If I’ve learned anything in this Christian walk all these years, it’s that you cannot out-wait God.  He left that line open all those years.  I eventually saw that there was a call on the other line, if you will, but I was still not picking up.

I am ever so glad He is as patient as He is.  For once I did answer the call to be a pastor, I have found some of the greatest blessings in those lousy hours and the pay scale is truly unmatched.  What God was calling me to is so much better than my own best plan could ever be, but He let me figure that out over time.

Part of me wants to apologize for leaving Him on hold for so long but yet the larger portion of my heart is grateful for His patience.  All that time that I thought I was doing my things my way; He was working on my heart to be able to trust Him more; which most certainly worth the wait!

How about you? What’s God calling you to do.

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Of Empty Jars and a Fuller Faith

(Image courtesy of pinterest)

The thoughts for this blog are taken from the message I have prepared for Sunday September 1^st, 2019.  They are based on a passage from the Old Testament found in the Book of 2 Kings 4:1-7.  It is the account of a widow who is about to lose her two sons because she cannot pay a debt she owes.  What unfolds in this passage is wonderful story of God’s provision.

When preaching this message, it is my intention to go verse by verse as I attempt to help folks see how God, ever faithful to keep His promises, can grow faith in the hardest of times.

For you, Dear Reader, I’ll be touching on highlights here (should you want to hear my soothing tones discussing this in fuller detail, please go to our website, www.lakesidechristianministries.org and click of the dropdown menu audio/video).

As always, it is good to get some background/context to the passage of scripture being considered.  Elisha, who had been the prophet Elijah’s assistant, has now assumed the leadership position after Elijah has been taken up to heaven.  He is the man of God the widow seeks for help.  As prophet, Elisha would have others working and ministering under his guidance.  One of these people had been the widow’s husband.

It’s also helpful to remember that the accepted custom of that time in ancient Israel was if you were unable to pay your debt, some or all family members would be forced to be servants of that creditor.  In essence, they could be sold into slavery to cover a debt.  If she lost her sons, there would be no one left to work the land.  Her very bad situation was going to spiral even further downward.  She would be destitute.  You get a better sense of her desperation by knowing these things, I think.  At this point, she would be seeing more of empty jars than anything that might grow her faith.

In her grief, pain and uncertainty of the future she seeks out the prophet. (Folks even then looking for a fix/cure on their own level instead of going first and directly to God.)  Elisha had already worked miracles in his ministry; no doubt the widow would have known, hence her seeking him out to do something about her situation. She spells out her issues to Elisha, who may or may not have already known about what she was up against.

After the widow spells out her problems to him, Elisha asks if she has anything at all to work with to pay the debt. “Nothing,” she replies, “except this little but of oil.”  To us this would be like having one dollar to our name when we owed one million.  Her situation looked hopeless, having more to do with empty jars than a flowing faith at this point.

The Prophet then gives her some strange instructions.  She is to go to all her neighbors, asking to borrow empty jars.  It is at this point we can she the widow starting to walk in faith.  This was a very humbling thing to do.  By going to all her neighbors, they would certainly know something was wrong.  No matter how they might talk about her, she was grasping at the chance to save her boys.

After collecting the jars, Elisha’s instructions don’t get any less crazy sounding.  The widow and her boys are to take them into their house and close the door.  Once they were alone, she was to start pouring the little oil she had into these empty jars.

Common sense would tell us this is futile, a heart hoping for God to do something wonderful would start pouring.  She did, and the Bible tells us the oil does not stop pouring until all the jars are full!

God has always been in the multiplying business.  Thinking about this takes me back to grade school grade school and learning the multiplication tables.  Each of these always showed that anything times zero was always zero.  That’s good for a mathematics table, but it doesn’t fit God’s character.  God continues to make something where there once was nothing!

This account was meant to grow the faith of those involved, not their pocketbooks! As you ponder it (and may I encourage you to read/re-read again 2 Kings 4:1-7), may I ask, “How can God enlarge your faith today?” You don’t need to be in the dire straits this widow was.  In fact, we should learn from her example and not wait as long as she did before seeking help. Don’t fall prey to the prideful feelings that you can a: work everything out yourself, or b: be to ashamed to admit something is messed up and you need help.

Take a spiritual inventory of what you have in the Lord and where your walk is currently with Him.  This will help you to see what you have in Him as opposed to how little you have on your own.  Let your faith grow as you ponder what God did for this obedient woman.  Difficulties might seem huge and having a kitchen full of empty jars seem of little use.  But our God will meet our deepest needs, if only we admit/ask Him to sustain us.  He’s done it; He’s doing it.  Do you have the faith He can do it for you?

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Figuring it all out?

 

As many of you know, I stepped away from full-time secular employment in September of 2016 so that I could devote all my time to our home-based ministry.  This was not a decision we made lightly.  Much prayer and not a few sleepless nights preceded this step.  In fact, my wife Betsy and I nearly took this leap in 2014.  At that time, after carefully going over our home budget, we decided to wait, using the time to downsize and pay down debt.  We were, we thought, figuring it out.

In the Spring of 2016, still waiting for God to show when it was time to make this life-altering decision, we had a prophetic word spoken over us.  The prophet, a man new to the area and whom we had never met, began to pray over us.  He started by calling Betsy by name! Looking back, I’m sure God did this to make sure He had my attention (He did!). The prophecy stated that we were to step out in faith into what God was calling us to by reminding us how He had cared for us in every way through the years.  Armed with this affirmation, we decided to act in faith.  We had it figured out.

I handed in my notice in March of 2016.  This was a job I thoroughly enjoyed at a place where I felt appreciated and was more than adequately compensated for my efforts.  On the very day I told my employer of the decision to leave, our ministry received an anonymous donation of $1500! You can imagine the joy and humility that was in my heart as I opened that piece of mail.  It was with great assurance that we had figured it out at last.

Our home ministry, Lakeside Christian Ministries, was actually birthed from a prayer group/bible study that had met regularly for seven years at our residence.  Again, after much prayer, four of us who served as core members through all those years, believed it was time to start having Sunday services here.  With much anticipation, because we had it figured out, we envisioned our home becoming too small to suit our needs.  This home church was going to reach those who had fallen away from consistent worship attendance.  Though the ensuing two years had times of blessing from the Lord with a few folks giving it a try, the meetings eventually petered out until it was just Betsy and I gathering in our living room to worship.

The two of us went back to our ever-faithful God in search of direction.  We sought only the what and how to of whatever He had planned for us.  At long last, we figured out that we were never going to figure it all out! Yes, we wanted His direction, but what we prayed for fervently was the obedience to simply comply with the opportunities he presented.

And has He presented some! Betsy and I now serve the kingdom in several ways.  Through our friendship and connections with other ministries here in our small city, we let it be known that we were available to help their churches with both worship music (one of Betsy’s many giftings), preaching (something I get charged up about) and leading Bible studies should there be illness or vacations, etc. A number of these fellowships have taken us up on this offer.  This facet of our ministry continues to be a blessing to all involved.

We have also been asked to bring Bible study to people’s homes that are not currently affiliated with any given church.  This has proved a wonderful opportunity to present the gospel on ‘neutral turf,’ if you will.  These folks seem much more at ease and ready to talk and ask questions in their own living rooms.  We have a new group planning to start in September of this year that will examine the Book of Daniel.

Without a doubt, God has showed us that the easiest, most clear way to have things figured out is to simply follow the example of Jesus.  For the most part, Jesus met people where they were, when they were there.  The wonderful account of Jesus and the Woman at the Well in John Chapter 4 has served as our blueprint.  We now meet on a regular basis, often more than once a week, in some of the apartments in what is considered the darkest part of our town.  Our task and approach is simple: to present the truth of God in both word and deed.  We have discovered that by investing time in the lives of these folks on an everyday type basis, they have developed a deep trust in us.  With this trust, we are able to present and explain what the Bible has to say on many different topics.

Having been meeting in that area for over a year now, we have seen God grow much fruit.  People that were at first solely focused on themselves and their wants/needs, are now finding life enriched as they reach out to others to lend a hand.  More importantly, we have the privilege of watching their faith grow before our very eyes.  Our times of prayer are rich with the Spirit of God as He leads us all into deeper knowledge of Himself.  The Almighty has answered the prayers of two of these saints by healing their cancers.  The first has the doctors astounded, as this was a terminal diagnosis.  Yet this week’s blood work for this person revealed no trace of cancer! The other miracle occurred when a person’s liver cancer was simply gone, leaving no trace of scar tissue on the organ.  God is moving, for His glory.  There is no other explanation for it.

So, what we have figured out is that God already has everything figured out!
When we walk this truth out in humble obedience, He continues to shine His light on the path He has for us.  This is wonderful but at the same time occasionally difficult for us as both Betsy and I are hands on, do it now type of people.  Figuring out how to do things and solving problems is how we are wired and yet God is using us in these ways, go figure!

Blessings and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

There is Life in Hospice

Two years ago I was asked to join our local Hospice organization as part of their pastoral care team.  I was honored by the invitation and gladly accepted.  The Oswego County Hospice has long been recognized as an outstanding provider of care to the terminally ill and their families.  I have known many people who have worked or volunteered for them, and to a person they tell what rewarding work it is.  Helping to bring dignity to the end of life has been some of their most fulfilling work.  When I joined the team, I hoped to discover this for myself.

Truthfully, though,  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Not much of my training or experience had prepared me for what I assumed was to be a monumental task.  After all, much of my ministry background has had me with folks, both saved and not, who seemingly give little thought to their own mortality.  Our primary focus has spanned from helping people meet their daily needs to counselling and leading Bible studies.  All of these types of activities have focused on improving both physical and spiritual life.  This Hospice work was going to bring physical death squarely in my face

Thankfully, Oswego County Hospice has an excellent training program.  It taught me much concerning the physical aspects of the dying process.  This information would be valuable as I entered into the patient’s family dynamic.  Although I knew that each case would be different, I felt that the training I had been given had prepared me for what was ahead.

All this excellent training did nothing, however, to prepare me for the awesome power of God I was (and still do) see! How did God display His power you ask? Has there been miraculous healings of bodies? These are legitimate questions especially when asked in light of Psalm 77:14 where the author describes God as: You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples (NIV).

To answer these questions, I must reply that to the best of my knowledge, I have not seen tumors removed through the power of prayer.  Yet what I do give witness to is at least equal to, or perhaps even greater than, a physical miracle.  What I have seen is unquestionably a move of God.  In His mercy I have seen estranged families reunited and lost individuals coming to realize the full life that the Lord Jesus promises.

Allow me to share some of the ways God has moved through Mary (not her real name), her family, friends and even some strangers during her time under hospice care.

I met Mary a little over a year ago.  As with anyone under hospice care, she faced the certainty of impending death.  On my first visit, she asked me what was going to happen to her when the inevitable happened.  Given this wonderful opportunity, I shared with Mary the Scriptures pertinent to salvation and the promise of eternity in heaven.

As Mary listened, a peace came over her.  Though I did not know it at the time, she had been a regular at a bible preaching church years ago before slipping into what she referred to as ‘the wild side of life.’ Hearing the words of John 3:16-17 and Romans 10:9 stirred in her the truth she had known so long ago.  I could tell that the issue of life after death was settled in her heart.

It was what happened since that initial conversation that has showed God’s power at work.  Mary, with her faith renewed in the goodness of her Lord, has become a powerful advocate for Him.  At any given time in her home there are extended family members, neighbors and acquaintances present.  Each and every time I am privileged to be in her company, any and all others with her are invited to pray with us or to be prayed for by me.

One such occasion allowed me to pray for a young man, Danny.  One look at him as I walked in told me much about him.  He was in a dark place, wallowing in self-pity at the turn life had taken on him.  He was homeless and obviously on the downside of whatever he had taken most recently.  A friend of one of her grandkids, Mary let him sleep on the couch, no questions asked.  After she and I finished our scheduled meeting, Mary asked him if it was alright for me to pray with him.  With a ‘what’s the use look,’ Danny agreed.  We held hands and I prayed.

I don’t have a formula for praying, I simply attempt to quiet my mind so that God can work through me.  I prayed for Danny in this way.  In this case I have no recall of what I said specifically and when I finished, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  At my Amen, Danny looked at me with tear filled eyes and told me that what I had said moved him deeply.  I thanked God and him for allowing me to pray with him.

Though I thought of and prayed for Danny frequently, several months passed with no word about him.  As always, God is working even when I don’t know it! My next encounter with this young guy nearly blew me away.  He had a big smile on his face, was cleaned up and generally had the look of someone who knew he had come through something awful into something far greater.  He excitedly told me about his new job and the nice place he had found to live.  His life had taken a 180-degree turn, at he counted our first meeting as the place it started.

I relate this account to you my friends in order to tell you that God is indeed still in the healing business.  The lesson it teaches me is to be looking beyond what I consider needs to be healed and to anticipate the greater thing God is up to.  There is life and there is joy in hospice care, for all involved.  God is healing.  The bible says that nothing is too hard for God.  Oh, and by the way, Mary has been discharged from hospice!

Thanks for reading and be encouraged, God is working!

Pastor Chuck

Corrective Lenses

I remember the day long ago while riding in the backseat of the family car when I told my folks I couldn’t read the road signs we passed.  I was 10 years old and in the 5^th grade.  My parents didn’t panic, they send a note to my teacher the next day asking that I be moved to the front row until they could get me an appointment with the eye doctor.  A week later I was given my first eye test (I could barely make out the large E on the top of the chart) and soon after those dorky looking black glasses became part of me.  Though thankfully the styles have changed, some 50 years later I am still wearing my glasses.

No surprise there, as that long-ago doctor had told my mother that I would need to wear them the rest of my life.  And if my blurry vision without them wasn’t reminder enough, my drivers license notes under Restrictions that I need corrective lenses to legally operate a motor vehicle as well.

Through the ensuing years I have gone to get my eyes re-checked when I notice things stating to getting fuzzy around the edges again and when advised to, I have purchased new glasses with a stronger prescription (and finally line-less bifocals to help in reading!).  I thank God for the technology and those who administer it so that weak-eyed people like me can have normal vision.

It is fair to say that my bad vision has been ‘fixed’ when I wear my eyeglasses.  When I think about this, I get a little better understanding of what the Bible says about fixing our eyes on the Lord. The author of the Book of Hebrews puts it this way:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

Obviously, this is a different use of the word fix, but you get the idea.  Here’s my simple analogy: I ‘fix’ my weak eyes every time I don my glasses.  In regard to my faith, each time I stop to ‘fix’ my eyes on Jesus, I allow myself to see life with a clearer perspective.  Stopping to consider what the Savior of the world has done for a sinner like me gives me the ability to see the ‘eye-chart’ of life with greater clarity.  Though things will still be a little fuzzy around the edges, I can see perfectly through the eyes of faith that God is indeed in control.

Which brings me to the next thought about my vision as I ponder what the Apostle Paul wrote: For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).  Is he saying I don’t need my corrective lenses after all? Did I waste all that money on exams and new specs all these years? Of course not! I would be foolish to go bumbling through life, tripping over unseen objects because I chose to not wear them.

But the Scripture plainly tells me to walk by faith.  Other translations render it we live by faith, so I rightly conclude, then, that it would also be foolish of me to stumble through life with compromised spiritual vision.  The question becomes: How to do this? I believe the answer lies in the ability to perceive more than just the surface of what is going on around me.  This is the fixing my eyes on Jesus part.

When all is well in my world, it can be quite easy for me to remember to thank and praise God for His care and abundance.  My spiritual vision, if you will, is operating just fine when I do this.  But what about when conditions are not to my liking? How do I see things if someone is in my face about something; or if my employer seems to be putting unreasonable tasks on me and no one else? How I perceive situations like these will go a long way in determining how well my eyes are fixed on Jesus.

For example, do I take immediate offense at being misused in the workplace? If I do, my eyes on squarely on me and my situation and the resultant affects on my life.  I’m not saying we have to be doormats, but I would suggest that we might make the effort to find out the root cause of the problem.  If that is not an option, here’s a better one: pray for the other person(s) involved.  For me, I find this very helpful because it takes my focus off of me and allows me to see the other person as someone who may have issues of their own.  Even better, I believe that all my prayers are heard.  What better way to find a solution to a problem or at least come to some common ground than by going to God Almighty, seeking His guidance.

Being honest, how well and often I follow my own advice varies from day to day.  What I gather from that fact is that my spiritual eyes need corrective lenses just as much as my natural ones do.  It only makes sense; with my glasses on, I pass every eye-test with 20/20 vision.  When I walk and live by faith, my spiritual vision is vastly improved as well.  I put my glasses on first thing each and every day and have done so for decades; now if only I could get into the same habit of fixing my eyes on Jesus!

How about you? Got any spiritual insight (pun intended) lessons to share? I’d love to see them.

Blessings to all,

Pastor Chuck

Stormy Weather

Regular readers of mine are aware than I often mention current weather conditions in these jottings.  That’s because winters here in Central New York are usually noteworthy.  Where I am sitting, Lake Ontario often releases what is known as Lake-effect Snow.  I’ll save you the science lesson and simply say that the relatively warmer air flowing over the cold water of the lake produces these events.  Proof in point: we received about 12 inches of new lake-effect snow over- night.

Those who know me personally are also well aware of my angst when it comes to TV weather-people and their inability to forecast these snows (and most any other weather!) with any accuracy.  Locally televised weather reporting spends the majority of its time telling us what the weather was like over the previous 24 hours.  I lived it and don’t need a recap.  Please just tell me what is ahead!

But I really don’t want to rant on about the nice folks that report the weather on television.  After all, they are doing their job the way they are told to and the current procedure seems to bring in ample advertising dollars.

Besides, I have lived in this area all my life and as a bit of a weather geek, I am quite capable of formulating my own forecasts.  There is little that happens in the local weather here that surprises me.  Storms, be they lake-effect or other types, come and go; so I will keep my snowblower, shovel and chainsaw in good working condition.

There are other storms that I am still blindsided by, however.  These would be the far less meteorological ‘storms of life.’ They often come from out of nowhere and can rage on endlessly, upsetting the quiet calm that I so love.  Much like Jesus’ disciples felt fear when a sudden storm came up while they were in a boat together, I can quickly become unsure of things as a storm of life blows up around me.

Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:24-25 NIV)

We know that at least four of the disciples were experienced fishermen, yet the text seems to indicate that all twelve were fearful for their lives.  Sudden storms were not rare on the Sea of Galilee, but even so, this one appeared to be bad enough to bring a feeling of certain doom to the group.

Obviously, the storm the disciples were in was an actual physical emergency, whereas the personal storms I referenced above are usually relational/personal in nature.  Regardless, the lesson to be gleaned in how to deal with them is found in the disciples reaction.

Note first that they were not hiding how they felt.  They were scared to death! Their urgent plea to Jesus reveals this.  Not hindered by concern over admitting the fear they felt, the disciples exercised their best option; they ran to Jesus.  There was no trying to turn the boat around or maybe into the wind to stabilize it, they rushed to wake Jesus to save them.

The bible says that after Jesus chastised his guys for their lack of faith, he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm (Matthew 8:26).  Even though the disciples lacked a measure of faith, nonetheless the Lord granted their request as He miraculously silenced the wind, thus calming the sea.

Oh that I would run post-haste to Jesus when a storm of life blows up around me! The disciples did and their problem was solved.  Do I believe things happened the way they are recorded in this passage? Absolutely! Do I believe Jesus can and does still speak into the circumstances of people’s lives when they run to Him seeking comfort? Indeed I do!

So why is it I don’t always follow the example of what the disciples did on that stormy boat ride when life throws a storm at me? Is it a lack of faith? Sometimes.  I know I trust my salvation completely on Jesus, no doubt.  But being honest, there are times when I think what is happening to me is somehow off of His radar and I’ll go tearing off looking for advice or a quick cure or just a metaphoric shovel to bury whatever it is that is troubling me.

The usual result of these efforts for my part is the opposite of what the disciples experienced when they sought the help of Jesus.  What can I do? I can put myself in that boat with them, meaning I can confess my fear, uncertainty, etc. and swallow my pride and say, “Lord, I’m going to drown” in this.  Please help me.”

How about you.  What fears do you have? Are there things you struggle with and yet don’t bring them to the Lord? Why? I’d love to hear from you and how/if God has calmed the seas of your life.

If it’s Good Enough for Dirty Harry . . .

 

Those who know me know that I do not go to the movies very often. Taking one trip every two or three years is my average.  That’s not to say I don’t watch movies, it’s just that I tend to watch the ones I really like over and over (and over!) again at home.  Anyone who has sat through my recitations of various scenes from Jaws (Quint’s speech about the USS Indianapolis), Caddy Shack (Bill Murray’s Cinderella Boy) or just about any part of Godfather II is well aware of my quirky viewing tendencies.

There is another to add to this list, and it (hopefully) will give some direction to this blog: Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan in the movie Magnum Force: “A good man has got to know his limitations” has been a long-time fave of mine. Though this dialogue from early in the movie was used by “Dirty Harry” as an insult toward his lieutenant, I believe we can find something useful in it by taking this iconic line out of the movie context and applying it to our own lives as we run it through the biblical filter.

2000 years before Clint, the apostle Paul wrote about the wisdom a person can gain when they take honest stock of their experiences:

I know what it is to have plenty, and I know what it is to be in need.  I have found the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12 NIV

 Paul knew his human limitations.  He knew that the plenty he had experienced was a blessing from God, as well as having the faith to believe that no temporary hardship meant an absence of God’s presence.  The Apostle understood that current circumstances did not define him.  They are merely the reality of our human existence.

Being honest, I don’t often have this clarity of vision.  My pride wants to leap up and declare that seasons of abundance are a direct result of my own hard work.  Like many, I suppose, I find it easy to take credit when things are going well.  I tend to consider the rewards of my efforts as being limitless, thus clouding my perception of my own limitations.

Likewise, I am usually far from content when I find myself in need.  When in this place, I tend to focus on the particular need to the exclusion of almost everything else.  There is little to no consideration of my own limitations here, only a deep desire to have my need met.  If I allow this thought process to have full reign, two things normally pop into my head.  First, I will decide that the situation is hopeless and will never end (insert whiny voice here). No need to concern myself with limitations, because my world is collapsing, taking me with it.  The other non-helpful thought is to take extreme measures to rectify the situation on my own.  Just as in my pity-party, this approach discards any possibility of my own limitations, leaving me blind to any other courses of action.

Thankfully, I have discovered a far better way to proceed: Learning to follow Paul’s example.  He wrote of the secret of being content in every situation.  What’s great is that the secret really isn’t a secret.  Paul’s message for us is to get and stay focused on Jesus first and always.  This gives us the chance to grow beyond the surface level existence of our fleeting experiences.  As we do, the contentment that the great Apostle found can be ours as well.

As usual, I find the application of this truth simple, but not easy.  The difficulty arises from having to admit my limitations.  I proclaim (and sometimes even am able) to live my life totally dependent upon the Lord Jesus.  Though I am sincere in my desire to do this, in my heart of hearts I know my pride still often gets I the way.

Which brings me back to the not so secret ‘secret’ Paul wrote about.  As I read that verse again, he says he has found the secret of being content in any and every situation.  There it is! He found it! How? I assume by learning from the differences of how he managed things on his own through his various challenges and comparing that to how things went when he sought the Lord’s guidance.

Now that I have a better understanding of how this works, I’m still lacking in ways to make it apply to my day to day life.  That is, until I read my devotional this morning (January 17^th).  For 2019, I’m reading Jesus Calling, written by Sarah Young. (I recommend it highly!).  On this day she is writing about the very thing I have been pondering in this blog: knowing the secret of having God’s contentment each day.  Young says that by staying in continual contact with Jesus throughout the day, you can live above your circumstances even while you are in the midst of them.  The secret to godly contentment is to stay in constant communication with the Almighty! With my eyes and heart focused on Him, I am immediately and always able to live above the circumstances I am in.

There you have it; a new quote I will carry with me and repeat often!  Nothing against all those movie lines I’ve committed to memory, but meditating on the fact that it is possible to live above your circumstances even while you are in the midst of them is going to have a greater impact on me than anything Dirty Harry ever said.

Have a Forever Happy New Year!

Happy New Year.  I’ve said it to plenty of people again this year with my heart in the right place, but when I stop to consider what I am really saying, it falls far short of I truly hope for them.

Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary (does anyone other than me still use a hard- covered dictionary?) defines happy as: favored by luck or fortune.  Knowing and believing what I do about the two possible destinations that await each of us when we die, this wishing for a happy new year to those I meet rings shallow.

Please understand that I have nothing against someone experiencing some good luck in 2019.  If you golf, may a fortuitous bounce give you a hole-in-one.  If collecting coins is your hobby, may that rare find find you.  Or maybe by chance you’ll step on a $100-dollar bill on your next walk outside.  Whatever it is in things like this, I do indeed wish that you are favored by luck or fortune.

The pastor/teacher in me yearns for all of us to experience a far deeper and everlasting peace that none of these fleeting examples listed above can offer.  If you are reading these words and you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, I rejoice with you!  My 2019 greeting to you is that you take the time to come to know Him even better in the days ahead.  As you do, may you be filled to overflowing with the peace and contentment only He can provide.  Please don’t keep this blessing to yourself! It is meant to be shared with the world in which you exist.  I pray that you daily manifest the love God has poured out on you to others.  In 2019, may you be a true example of what a follower of Christ is to be.

Friend, if you are reading this and don’t know the salvation that Jesus died to offer you, my 2019 greeting to you is please consider it! At the top I mentioned there are only two destinations for us humans when our physical life ends.  It is an eternal reality: One is to live in bliss for absolutely ever in the very presence of God, the other is to live on forever with the knowledge that what you heard about, but never acted upon, was true.

Maybe that doesn’t sound too bad to you on the surface, but consider this: We’re talking about eternity here.  That’s a long time to ponder the hugest mistake you could ever make.  It breaks my heart to even consider the utter loneliness of that existence and the total inability to change your circumstance once set in it.  This is an isolation from all other life but even worse, it means you are forever separated from God; hopelessly lost forever.

I realize that is some heavy stuff to be thinking about on the first day of the new year, but so be it.  I believe you are worth talking to about this! And as strongly as I feel for you, God has an infinitely greater desire to be in relationship with you.

The Bible makes many direct references about God’s heart towards those who have not yet come to believe in Him.  One that says it clearly to me is this: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NIV).

The promise mentioned here is that there will be and end of the world as we know it.  It doesn’t say when, just that it will happen.  God’s heart for you is revealed in the second part of this verse: He is patient, not wanting anyone to miss out and He even tells us what we need to do; repent (meaning to be truly sorry for our mistakes and failures).

His offer of eternal security remains in place until the Lord comes back again, another promise from the Scriptures.  I’m not claiming to have any inside-trader information of when that might be, only that it will.  Please, please, please don’t be left out when that happens.  Why not start this New Year with a brand-new you!  Not one that is sculpted at the gym or through dieting, but one that is eternally transformed by your Creator God.

Will this then be a ‘happy new year?’ Not it the sense of good luck or fortune, but it will have at its base an unshakable certainty that God’s love will care for you always.  I pray you consider God’s invitation and take Him up on his desire for you: to be happy, fulfilled, content, peace-filled, forgiving, etc. forever!

Blessings to all and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck